Wait, I feel like I missed something here. I admit I haven't followed every bit of Glass news obsessively, but I did think I was relatively in the loop so someone fill me in: since when is Glass able to see what your eyes are doing? Is there some kind of camera tracking your eyesight?

Wait, I feel like I missed something here. I admit I haven't followed every bit of Glass news obsessively, but I did think I was relatively in the loop so someone fill me in: since when is Glass able to see what your eyes are doing? Is there some kind of camera tracking your eyesight?

No, no there isn't.

The code also mentions browser zooming, menus, and errors. Nothing that really applies to Glass either.

Wait, I feel like I missed something here. I admit I haven't followed every bit of Glass news obsessively, but I did think I was relatively in the loop so someone fill me in: since when is Glass able to see what your eyes are doing? Is there some kind of camera tracking your eyesight?

Not sure why everyone is shocked by this. Eye Gestures and tracking is nothing new - Google has been developing this from the get-go:

While I look forward to just how far blinking as a mechanic can go and think it's brilliant, I foresee trouble here. A feature that literally involves closing your eye(s) isn't going to make those lawmakers more comfortable with glass, especially if it involves drivers who would do this or other blinking features. Would assume there's a way to disable it and go voice command but since when has consumer responsibility on common sense actions been relevant to those who blame technology?

Wait, I feel like I missed something here. I admit I haven't followed every bit of Glass news obsessively, but I did think I was relatively in the loop so someone fill me in: since when is Glass able to see what your eyes are doing? Is there some kind of camera tracking your eyesight?

Not sure why everyone is shocked by this. Eye Gestures and tracking is nothing new - Google has been developing this from the get-go:

While this sounds like a potentially useful feature, we can't help but picture enjoying ourselves in a public space when another person wearing Google Glass catches our eye. We lock gazes. Slowly, deliberately, they wink.

I can't help but picture enjoying myself in a public space when another person with a smartphone catches my eye. We lock gazes. Slowly, deliberately, they raise their phone.

The difference is that it is pretty obvious if somebody is taking video or photos with a camera or phone. With these glasses, there is no obvious "tell" of when you can expect to be photographed. Many, if not most people REALLY DO NOT LIKE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED. If you don't understand this, please go out into public and just go out and take photos of people. See how they react, and get back to us.

The difference is that it is pretty obvious if somebody is taking video or photos with a camera or phone. With these glasses, there is no obvious "tell" of when you can expect to be photographed. Many, if not most people REALLY DO NOT LIKE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED. If you don't understand this, please go out into public and just go out and take photos of people. See how they react, and get back to us.

It's only obvious that someone is taking a picture with a smartphone if you know what a smartphone is capable of and roughly how it works. If you know what Glass is and how it works, it is similarly obvious if you're being photographed - someone either says "Ok glass, take a picture", raises their hand to the device, or gives a prolonged wink. Both with a smartphone and with glass there is ambiguity as to what the person is actually doing, as you can't see the UI the person is interacting with. So, again, what's the difference?

The difference is that it is pretty obvious if somebody is taking video or photos with a camera or phone. With these glasses, there is no obvious "tell" of when you can expect to be photographed. Many, if not most people REALLY DO NOT LIKE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED. If you don't understand this, please go out into public and just go out and take photos of people. See how they react, and get back to us.

The thing is, when you go out into a public area you are not guaranteed of, nor do you have the right to, privacy measures. Just walking down any public street you are filmed from countless surveillance cameras, dashboard cameras, etc. That is just the world we live in now, and this reality is not going to be changing any time soon.

A lot of the complaints are overblown by people who don't realize that you can already stealthily and easily take pics or video with far less notable devices. I got a pen that could do it years ago for 20-30 bucks. I have sunglasses that cost me 30 which can do it. I'm sure there are hats capable of being recording devices too. Fact is Google Glass isn't bringing anything new to the table as far as privacy goes; there are much simpler, cheaper devices out there that are probably going to be better. While the cheap stuff I got shouldn't be, there much more out there that's better.

A lot of the complaints are overblown by people who don't realize that you can already stealthily and easily take pics or video with far less notable devices. I got a pen that could do it years ago for 20-30 bucks. I have sunglasses that cost me 30 which can do it. I'm sure there are hats capable of being recording devices too. Fact is Google Glass isn't bringing anything new to the table as far as privacy goes; there are much simpler, cheaper devices out there that are probably going to be better. While the cheap stuff I got shouldn't be, there much more out there that's better.

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I don't own any of these devices, but I was shocked into awareness when shopping for a home surveillance system at a local mall store. Cameras and microphones and recording equipment of all sorts, all fitted snugly into a pen or a hat or glasses frame. Years ago, you could spot these cameras if you were really looking, but now it’s damn near impossible. And, as you’ve mentioned, the tech is not overly expensive.

At least with Glass, you can assume that a wearer is recording you. Do you make any such assumption for someone wearing a los Doyers or Yankees cap?

There's no need to assume. If you can see the person, it's blatantly obvious that they're recording; there's a bright light that shines over the eye. If you can't see the person, well, that's no different from not being able to see a person recording you with a smartphone.

The difference is that the goal here is to make this type of thing ubiquitous. There's a big difference between the idea that somebody might be carrying a stealth camera and everybody carrying one.

The problem is that for glass to be called a "stealth" camera there has to be an element of "stealth" to it. There isn't one, any more than there is for smartphones. With both devices, someone looking at you knows that you took a picture or video.

The problem is that for glass to be called a "stealth" camera there has to be an element of "stealth" to it. There isn't one, any more than there is for smartphones. With both devices, someone looking at you knows that you took a picture or video.

Perhaps, that's true. At this point few have seen them so it's open to speculation. Currently we're talking about initial testing of a new product category. Who knows what will be in the commercial version? If it does become ubiquitous, I'd imagine there will be a variety of products with somewhat different behaviors.

The difference is that it is pretty obvious if somebody is taking video or photos with a camera or phone. With these glasses, there is no obvious "tell" of when you can expect to be photographed. Many, if not most people REALLY DO NOT LIKE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED. If you don't understand this, please go out into public and just go out and take photos of people. See how they react, and get back to us.

It's only obvious that someone is taking a picture with a smartphone if you know what a smartphone is capable of and roughly how it works. If you know what Glass is and how it works, it is similarly obvious if you're being photographed - someone either says "Ok glass, take a picture", raises their hand to the device, or gives a prolonged wink. Both with a smartphone and with glass there is ambiguity as to what the person is actually doing, as you can't see the UI the person is interacting with. So, again, what's the difference?

There is a huge difference is you are more than 2' away from the person.

It's easy to tell if someone with a smartphone is taking your picture because of how they point the phone at you. It's distinctive, and it's clear you're neither talking on the phone or texting.

With google glasses, they just have to look at you. You probably can't see a long wink from across the room, and there can be any number of reasons that someone might touch their head. Or you can set it to take a picture every 10 seconds automatically.

There's no need to assume. If you can see the person, it's blatantly obvious that they're recording; there's a bright light that shines over the eye. If you can't see the person, well, that's no different from not being able to see a person recording you with a smartphone.

There is a huge difference is you are more than 2' away from the person.

It's easy to tell if someone with a smartphone is taking your picture because of how they point the phone at you. It's distinctive, and it's clear you're neither talking on the phone or texting.

With google glasses, they just have to look at you. You probably can't see a long wink from across the room, and there can be any number of reasons that someone might touch their head. Or you can set it to take a picture every 10 seconds automatically.

As for the light - a tiny bit of electrical tape would cover that.

I think the real question we're trying to get at is, "How easy is it to tell if an average person using this device is taking a picture of me?" Right? Tech-savvy or otherwise non-average users have far better ways of surreptitiously taking photographs of you, as has been amply stated in this thread, so their behavior doesn't really matter when thinking about the privacy implications of google glass.

So, what would the average user do? The average user would likely not take a photograph every ten seconds. It's possible that they would, though I would say it's unlikely. The average user would certainly not put electrical tape on the device. The average user would use the default UI for taking pictures and recording video, which have very obvious signals to those that are around them that a picture is being taken.

Will people buy glass en masse simply for use as a not-so-stealthy stealth camera? Certainly not - there are far cheaper and better ways to do that. Will they use it as a kind of personal logging device, to keep records of where they have been and what they have seen, by taking pictures every ten seconds? Some people probably will, but probably not the majority of users. So what privacy impact will that minority of users have? It might have some. But that's really the question to be asking; people who say that they will punch someone in the face for wearing glass don't understand the device at all, and they are just fear-mongering.